Most people who purchase tickets to our biannual airplane raffles are hoping to win the grand prize: a plane. But a raffle ticket also buys a chance to win one of three additional prizes including a PPL (private pilot license) or advanced training scholarship.
Brother and sister, Peter Harvey and Andrea Kincade, have been buying tickets to the Wings of Hope airplane raffle for several years running.
“We’ve always toyed with the idea of buying an airplane,” said Peter. “We both have property down south, and we thought it would be a great way to get to Florida or South Carolina.”
Peter earned his private pilot license in 1993. Andrea has Ménière disease which impacts her balance and means getting a pilot’s license is not in her future.
“Even if she wanted to get her license, she couldn’t — so she decided that she wanted to participate in the raffle in the hopes that if she won, I would get a plane from her,” said Peter.
They each buy three tickets to every raffle.
When Andrea won the $5,000 scholarship this past spring, she asked if we would transfer the prize to her brother, Peter. We did, and now he is using it to sharpen his piloting skills.
“I got my pilot’s license in 1993 and didn’t get to fly as much as I had hoped due to business demands, the economy, a whole host of reasons,” Peter said. “In 2018, I sold my company after 41 years and decided now I have the extra time and the extra cash to try and become a better pilot.
“This scholarship, for me, came along at a wonderful time. Obviously, financially it helps immensely — and it allows you to pursue training that you might not have had the opportunity to do,” Peter said.
Peter flies once a week with a flight instructor at Griffing Flying Service in Port Clinton, Ohio.
“The training that I’m getting right now is approximately $200 an hour — and if you buy in blocks of $1,000, they give you a 10% discount. So that $5,000 goes to quite a few hours. Really, it’s great!” Peter said.
Even though Peter is current on his private pilot license, he believes “you can never have enough training.”
“Having an instructor in the cockpit with you on the journey, I think is invaluable,” he said.
Currently, Peter is working on getting proficient in VFR (visual flight rules) flying; next, he’s planning on pursuing his IFR (instrument flight rules) rating.
He and his sister are still thinking about buying a plane — a Piper Saratoga six-seater. Until then, they will continue to take their chances buying tickets to the Wings of Hope airplane raffle.
“It’s fun to participate in the raffle and realize it goes to a good cause — and you just never know? You could win.”